14 Million Seniors are Already benefiting from Obamacare

[Stuart G]

Source: Think Progresss

14 Million Seniors Are Already Benefiting From Obamacare

| Medicare reports that 14.3 million seniors in America have already received important preventive benefits under President Obama’s health care law. In the first few months of 2012, seniors were able to take advantage of a number of preventative health services, including an annual checkup, without paying any deductibles or co-pays. “Thanks to the health care law, millions of Americans are getting cancer screenings, mammograms, and other preventive services for free,” said acting CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner. “These preventive services are helping people in Medicare stay healthy and lower their health care costs.” –Angela Guo

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/06/11/497453/14-million-seniors-are-already-benefiting-from-obamacare/

[bluestateguy]

1. And I'm sure seniors are very grateful and support Obamacare

Right?

....

RIGHT?

[Stuart G]

3. Yes, I am a senior and very very grateful. nt

[crunch60]

9. Wrong. My Doctor would not refill one RX I take unless I made an

office visit. I told the nurse I was perfectly healthy and only needed the RX. Dr. wouldn't do it. So I went in just to have the Dr. write the RX. I then got billed for an office visit, follow up. for $73.00. and Medicare paid the other portion, $60.69 per their contract with HCP. Health Care Partners of Nevada

I called my Dr.s office and asked,"follow up for what"?
Then I called Medicare and said, " Where's the free part"

I don't entirely blame the Dr. because the insurance companies require their providers to bring in their patients once or twice a year, (sort of an unwritten rule) so they can be sure and collect each client's deductible. They are still finding ways to scam the system and patients.

[wordpix]

15. I fired my elderly mother's doc b/c he was obviously bringing her in 2x/mo. for no real reason

Minor med changes could have easily been discussed on the phone. Her condition does not change noticeably in a 2-week period and if it had, I would have called and asked him for an appt.

Anyhow, this way of doing business backfired on him b/c now we don't see him at all.

[patrice]

2. One of the reasons the Republicans are so desparate: they can see the handwriting on the wall &

they want to claim National Health Care for their own & make of it what THEY want it to be, i.e. a guaranteed jobs program for their donors, i.e. ChurchMart.

[stufl]

4. And then there's Medicare Part D...Prescription drug coverage.

For two years now, the participant's share when in the "donut hole" has been 50%....DOWN from 100%. That will revert to 100% when the Supremes invalidate the law. Who's going to explain to the millions of seniors and handicapped that have benefited by that provision?


btw....the money for that came from eliminating the 14% subsidy given to private insurers so that they could offer Medicare Advantage plans in competition with Medicare. That's the $500 million cut in Medicare the Republicans talk so much about.

Healthcare is complicated. Republicans rely on the fact that most people have neither the patience, intellect or interest to follow the details. Now, if we can only eliminate payment for procedures, mankind would be far, far better off.

[secondwind]

5. I received my first free annual checkup. Very pleased!

[MannyGoldstein]

6. How will they feel when the Medicare eligibility age goes up to 67?

As our President has proposed?

[LibDemAlways]

7. There is such a huge disconnect between the reality of the bill and

the public's perception of it. The media lets the R's get away with painting it as nothing less than a Communist plot. I have never heard a member of the MSM explain what the bill actually does - both the good and the could be better.

[dmr]

8. Yes, I'm benefiting from it, & am thankful for it.

I sure do wish it was available for everyone else, though.

[CTyankee]

18. I cannot tell you how many times over many years I have heard friends/coworkers in their 40s

say they wish they had Medicare. If we had Medicare for All there would be a HUGE sigh of relief in the populace. So much misery would be reduced in this country and so many lives would be improved if not saved! It is an utter shame that we don't have this for everybody...

[Coyote_Bandit]

10. Ummmm......

Who gives a fuck if you get free preventative services and then cannot get necessary follow-up care (or are left without any choice of available care)?

Mom is going through lymphoma diagnosis and staging. She's nearly 80 years old and couldn't get an individual health policy if she wanted to and could aford it. If one is eligible for Medicare then the health insurance companies genrally refuse to insure them. The problem with that is that health service providers then refuse to accept Medicare patients - even when they also have Medicare supplemental insurance coverage like Mom. We are quickly finding that Mom has little choice where to seek treatment in her area. Unless she is willing to assume personal responsibility for the full cost of her treatment and pre-pay $100,000 or more (with the possibility that the cost of treatment will far exceed that amount). That's not a realistic option for the vast majority of retired seniors.

Somebody in Washington needs to grow a fucking spine. Price discrimination in healthcare goods and services needs to be prohiited. Everybody should pay the same price for the same pill or the same test or the same surgery regardless of what kind of health insurance they do or do not have. There should be equal access to healthcare goods and services.

Separate but equal is inherently unequal. Brown v. Board of Education got that right with respect to segregation in public education. Yet the bastards in Washington are clearly wiling to tolerate segregation in healthcare. The effect of that is that some are being denied access to healthcare services - or being afforded access to care that is something less than top-quality.

I really don't hear any of the politicians complaining about this kind of shit - much less doing anything to stop it. Kind of confirms my opinion that they are corporate shills (bought and paid for by those campaign congtributions) that don't give a rats ass about flesh and blood people.

Color me unimpressed.

[LibDemAlways]

11. Why Americans have tolerated this shit for so long is baffling.

One guy walks up to the counter at the drug store and gets his meds for $5.00 because he's a lucky SOB with a decent insurance plan. The next sucker steps up and pays $150.00 for the same damn thing because he has no insurance. Meanwhile some other poor bastard is at home suffering from the same condition but with no meds at all because he has to pay the rent or get tossed into the street. America is fucked up indeed.

[Coyote_Bandit]

12. What do you suggest we do about it?

Many of the politicans have greater loyaltys to the corporations. Complaints fall on deaf ears - and in our big brother society they are likely to get you put on a watch list as a malcontent with tendencies toward domestic terrorism.

As a wee little insignificant flesh and blood person I am left to vote for the candidate of one of two viable political parties. And far too often that means that I am given the choice of voting for a candidate who does not serve to advance and protect my needs and interests in order to try to prevent the election of another candidate who would further undermine my needs and interests. My choices are bad and worse.

America is a failed nation.

[juajen]

13. Perhaps, we should do something drastic?

Maybe it is time to protest by not voting. I am in touch with conservatives as well as progressives, and a theme of all is that we are inundated with crooks. Perhaps a "no vote" would highlight the enormous hatred blooming in this country for politicians of whatever persuasion. With a few exceptions, "A Pox on both their Houses."

[davsand]

14. NOT voting??? That kinda crap got us here in the first place!

When elections have voter turnout at 25% or lower (that is not limited to Primaries and Municipal elections, btw) you frequently get candidates that are less than optimal. When your party puts crap up for election you lose. When BOTH parties put crap candidate up for election you get the kind of shit government that we have right now, and EVERYBODY loses. We get the government that voters have earned.

Instead of sitting by the sidelines and pissing and moaning about how bad it all is, it might be more productive to actually get off the sofa and get involved with a candidate your actually DO like and trust. Hell, if you feel really passionate run for office yourself!


Laura

[crunch60]

17. No voting means the Koch brothers could just casually enter the white house, and then were toast.

[crunch60]

16. Like Komen for example, thousands of women running, running, raising millions of dollars for

this organization, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty part, (financial help) or other "real services", the only thing they do is.. direct you to another agency.
Nancy Brinker, Susan Komen's sister, made out like a bandit with this charity.

I truly hope your Mom can get some help. I know you are a strong support for her and your Dad.
Most politicians get their health care free, from the government, paid for by us, the taxpayers. They don't want us to have those same benefits, because we are the 99%!.